Italian Baker redux

 Remember when I posted about the pugliese bread recipe I wanted to attempt from a book I checked out from the library??

This book!!   It has now been returned to the library.  

I decided not to buy a copy but . . . I made copies of pages I wanted to keep.  Of course the pages related to the pugliese and ciabatta breads that I have made a couple of times.  Then I flipped through for another quick look and found a few more things to try.   I have lots more baking to do!

My main recipes using the biga starter plus some I haven't attempted yet.

Italian version of croissants . . . . cornetti!!!

Varieties of tasty breads with additional ingredients . . . cheese, potatoes, mushrooms!

And RYE bread recipes!!!   My search for a rye I can make with good results is ongoing and I hope these will help me along that path.

 

Italian Baker!

 I have been attempting to up my baking skills which has lead to me checking out books from the Dallas Library on baking.  So far it is mostly French but I found The Italian Baker book  to try.   It has a recipe for one of my favorite white crusty, chewy breads . . . Pugliese.   

I have looked at recipes for Pugliese before and thought it was too difficult.  But now that I have made other yeast breads and even ones with starters, I think I might be ready.     Soooooo, I decided to take the plunge.

It does need a Biga (starter) which is fermented over night or at least 12 hours.

The biga did puff up nicely.  

Time to bake some bread!!

 

The crumb looks quite good.  I might have baked a bit longer but I did get a good hollow sound when I knocked on the crust.

Yummmmm, it tastes great with cream cheese and lime curd.   It makes great toast to add any toppings to it . . . Canadian Bacon and Cheddar tastes great too.  I froze some because it is too much for one person.  Thawed out and toasted, it still tastes good.  

But wait!    I have more Biga to use up!!

Time to make some ciabatta!!

ANNNNNNDDDDD . . . . 

The ciabatta turned out even better!  Although the shape is not exactly the slipper shape the book suggests it might be.

An Italian friend said it looked perfect! LOL, look at those holes . . . actually a good sign!!

And, yes, it tasted good . . . works really well to dip into the olive oil and mix of these green olives,

I will move these to a list of "must make again"!